Support for Chicago Biomedical Consortium renewed
Neurons (green) and synapses (red) imaged in the brain of a behaving mouse using a novel microscope built with CBC support.
The Searle Funds at The Chicago Community Trust has renewed its funding commitment to the Chicago Biomedical Consortium (CBC), an innovative research and education collaboration of Northwestern University, UIC and the University of Chicago that has helped establish the Chicago area as a leader in biomedical sciences.
The Searle Funds has pledged $21 million over five years, including $5 million for the first year, which began Jan. 1. This extraordinary support will continue to stimulate the CBC’s multi-institutional, interdisciplinary collaborations for improving human health. During the prior decade of CBC Phase 1, many notable discoveries have been made in a wide array of biomedical fields.
“For a decade now, the vision and commitment of the CBC to link the complementary research strengths of the Chicago area’s three major research universities have developed a record of innovation and economic development for the city and the region. And we are only getting started,” said UIC Chancellor Michael Amiridis. “We are most grateful to the Searle Funds at The Chicago Community Trust and confident that their ongoing support of our tripartite collaboration will continue to produce significant breakthroughs.”
The CBC is launching an important second phase: a focus on fostering a culture of entrepreneurship among university researchers. New initiatives include a forum for academic and industry scientists to discuss commercialization ideas and a program supporting translational research projects with funding and early commercial guidance.
“The CBC is an engine for innovation, powered by the brilliant faculty of three world-class institutions,” said Terry Mazany, president and CEO of The Chicago Community Trust. “It is this level of innovation that will distinguish cities competitive in the 21st century.”
“In the past 10 years, the CBC has made remarkable strides, leveraging the talents and resources of Northwestern University, the University of Chicago and UIC to boost discovery and the Chicago region’s economy,” said Renee Michaels, vice president of Kinship Foundation, a private operating foundation established to advance the Searle family’s institutional philanthropy.
“We’re pleased to continue to support the CBC as it enters Phase 2, where it will apply the values of collaboration to strengthen connections within our biomedical ecosystem, build a stronger pipeline for discoveries to reach the marketplace and strengthen the entrepreneurial culture within the universities around life sciences,” Michaels said. She and Mazany delivered remarks at a Dec. 16 special event celebrating the Chicago Biomedical Consortium and the continued support of the Searle Funds.
Members of the Searle family were instrumental in establishing the CBC and have supported the enterprise through the Searle Funds at The Chicago Community Trust since the CBC’s inception in 2006.
For 11 years, the CBC has enabled risk-taking discovery science, resulting in an increased understanding of the biology underlying an array of medical conditions, such as heart disease, autism, leukemia, diabetes and Parkinson’s disease. Areas of supported research include drug discovery, epigenetics, biomedical engineering, proteomics, systems biology, and more.
With a strong foundation in place, the CBC is poised to accelerate the translation of scientific discovery to clinical application and the development of therapeutics. This will help bolster the biotechnology community in the Chicago area.
The CBC’s two new accelerator programs will partner with existing programs at the three universities to help identify promising research for which a boost of advice and support may make a difference in timing and outcome.
